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Polish

Show Description

Poland is known as the Land of the White Eagle after its heraldic shield in which a white eagle had featured since the twelfth century. The national colours of white and red are symbolic of purity and idealism and the blood sacrificed for the honour of God and Fatherland, as well as “For Your Freedom and Ours”.

The Polish connection to Australia stretches back to 1832 when the naturalist John Lhotsky began his scientific studies of the native flora and fauna in Sydney and Hobart. The first discovery of Gold in Australia was hotly contested between John Lhotsky and another polish explorer, Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki. Paul Edmund Strzelecki led expeditions throughout New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria from 1939 until 1843 and is best remembered for naming Australia’s tallest peak Mt Kosciuszko. Many early Polish Settlers left their footprints on Australian soil, mainly in the Barossa - where the historic St Stanislaus Church remains a testament to their lives at Polish Hill River in South Australia (from a migration arriving in Adelaide 17V1856), while in Melbourne a Polish Society and Relief Fund was established in 1863. However, it wasn’t until the Displaced Persons mass migration after the end of World War II that the Polish Diaspora really began to organise itself. In the 80s the “Solidarity Migration” swelled the numbers even further.

Today, Victoria can boast of having the largest Australian Polish Diaspora, with well over 20,000 Polish speakers scattered throughout Melbourne and environs. Sporting grounds can be accessed at the two largest Polish Community Houses, located in Albion and Rowville, with “Polana” in Healsville providing camping facilities and many others offering reception and meeting rooms as well as language tuition. Polish can be studied for Year 12 accreditation at Princess Hill High School of Modern Languages and Dandenong High. Most Polish Organisations, including the Polish Section of Radio 3ZZZ, are affiliated with the Polish Community Council of Victoria (www.pccv.org.au).

Tuesday programs are targeted for our many senior citizens with a mix of health and wellbeing segments interspersed with armchair travel and a monthly religious service for those who are no longer able to attend Mass in person.

Wednesday programs contain current affairs and political discourse, as well as regular encounters with poetry, ending with a short religious meditation.

Saturdays feature nostalgia and explore the annals of history, delighting in music from Polish classical composers. A monthly contribution from Marshall Jozef Pilsudski Polish Saturday School gives a voice to our youngest broadcasters and the Polish Bible Students use their timeslot to educate us, showing that the Polish Community is not solely Catholic but also encompasses other denominations.

Broadcasters obtain material from various sources including internet pages and archival recordings, however, we always try to be topical and include as much local content as possible. We interview members of our community, record concerts, promote festivals and advertise events: what’s on where such as the Polish Festival at Federation Square (www.polishfestival.com.au) where we usually share a stall with the Polish Weekly newspaper (www.tygodnikpolski.com.au).

We acknowledge the financial support of our members and the Stanislaw Blum Foundation, without whom we could not remain on air.